Former CIA Officer John Kiriakou Alleges Mossad Recruited Afghan Refugees as Informants Inside Iran

Washington – A recently resurfaced podcast clip featuring former Central Intelligence Agency  (CIA) officer and whistleblower John Kiriakou has renewed debate over Israel’s covert intelligence operations and the alleged methods used to recruit human assets inside Iran. Speaking with podcaster Julian Dorey, published on November 18,  Kiriakou claimed that Mossad built an extensive intelligence network by recruiting “thousands” of Afghan refugees living in Iran, many of whom, he said, were desperate enough to work as informants for as little as $100.

Kiriakou, who served in the CIA’s counterterrorism and Middle East divisions, drew on decades of experience as he described how Israel allegedly capitalized on the precarious status of Afghan refugees.

Responding to Dorey’s question, How does Mossad recruit assets inside Iran?, Kiriakou said the refugee population provided fertile ground.

According to him, 

“There are hundreds of thousands, some say millions, of Afghan refugees in Iran. They fled the Soviets in the 1980s, the civil war in the 1990s, and the Taliban. They will never, ever get Iranian citizenship. They have no rights. They get no social services. They get no assistance from UNHCR because Iran doesn’t recognize it. They’re non-persons. They’re desperate.”

He alleged that Mossad exploited this vulnerability by turning refugees into what he described as “human surveillance cameras,” paying them small amounts of money to monitor specific targets.

“Stand on this corner every day at 4 o’clock. When General So-and-so drives by, take a picture and send it to this number. Here’s a hundred dollars,” he said, recalling the recruitment tactics he claims were used.

 “They recruited thousands of these guys. They’re desperate, they have no future, and a hundred bucks is a lot of money.”

Broader Claims on Israel’s Covert Strategy

The podcast segment formed part of a broader discussion in which Kiriakou accused Israel of exerting pressure on the United States to take a harder line on Iran. He also claimed that Israeli intelligence operations often involved strategies that resulted in substantial collateral damage.

Kiriakou further alleged that the CIA at one point restricted Israeli intelligence officers’ access to agency headquarters due to “security concerns,” although he did not provide documentation to support that claim.

A Controversial Voice With a Complex Legacy

John Kiriakou joined the CIA in 1990 and later became widely known for publicly confirming the agency’s use of waterboarding on detainee Abu Zubaydah. His disclosure made him the first U.S. official to acknowledge the practice.

He was later prosecuted under the Espionage Act for revealing classified information—including the identity of a covert CIA operative, and in 2013 received a 30-month federal prison sentence. While Kiriakou maintains he acted out of conscience, not malice, his case continues to polarize national security experts and civil liberties advocates.

Ongoing Debate Over Intelligence Ethics

The renewed circulation of the podcast clip has revived longstanding questions about intelligence recruitment, ethics, and the exploitation of vulnerable communities. Kiriakou’s allegations have not been independently verified, but they highlight the complexities, and controversies, surrounding covert operations in Iran, a country where traditional intelligence access is severely restricted.

As the geopolitical rivalry between Israel and Iran deepens, debates over the moral boundaries of intelligence gathering are likely to intensify, especially when allegations involve stateless refugee populations with few protections.